The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-10

| to dnynutIcally say no. lie follows up this
strange statement with some Scrptural quo
taiions which lie seems TO forget have their
respective connections, and that not one OF
them can be taken with nm absolute signifi-
cation. "rhere Is not Just man on earth
| that doeth gond and stnncth not.
| Now I wonder If DIR. Lindsay would nave
the intelligent reader to apply this Old Tesla
mrnt quotation as an absolute ana unexcep,
tionable flct filling the human race III lil
agesP II he does, he ma bettcr s'1hS ,h, lhe he
will hardly make such gross misappiicatioh
His filth argument is the Lords Prayer:
"Forgiye us our sins MS VIC forgive thoSe VINO
Now, do wonder If the Doctor thinks that
Christ meant that everybody had TO ne SIN
| ncrs in order to offer this prayer. Can not
anybody see from careful examination OF
the prayer, and its connection, that this CON
struction is false, and TINT II was the spirit IN
which we should pray that Christ was intena-
| ing to teach? 1t Is only another form ol tne
same sentiment, that we nro TO 90 unto otner
mon just as we would have other men 90
unto ns. Cultivate the spirit OF forgiveness,
40 that you will lie rs willing TO forgive others
should they sin against you, MS you are to be
forgiven of God should you SIM. Ihis inter
pretuton OF this part of the LORDS Prayer II
In harmony with the beginning OF the prayer,
hut Dr. LindSays Is not. Christ Taught ms
disciples To pray: "Thy kingdom come; Ihy
will be done on earth asi Is In heaven. Ihls
could not he In keeping with the DOCTORS IN
| depreciation. ii IL Is llEINsSloIe ioi "
be anything else than q practical sinner IN
this life, then 1t would be absurd 10 pray lor
ChriSts kingdom to come to earth, 80 that MS
will might be done by men on eartn as ~ lbs IN
| I'm heaven: unless you take the ground tnnt
1t Is Gods will for men to be sinners, ana II
that be true. then his will would ne iulriled,
and II would be fooliShness 10 pray 10 Hod
| for state already realized.
| He then goes on to give lis Pauls experience,
which is rathera poor argument, for we nave
not on record single act expressed ny raul
or anybody else 10 prove thal ne ever niH .aG
What we said Of the Doctors text In the Pc
ginning will apply to Paul's statement In the
7th chapter OF Romans.
| His seventh argument against holiness 1s,
he says "that II ignores another great char-
acteristlc of Christian experience, viz: growth
| in grace" ~
There is nothing in the Doctors sermon
which 80 thoroughly exposes the fact that he
is condemning something he knows nothing
about, as this statement: He says that TO be
perfect implies a state beyond PROGRESS IniS
Is not his exact language, but 1t i the iden al.
Lyanced. | am yet to hear the first professor
Of holiness teach any such doctrine. Ihey
only claim that the perfection OF the sMte de-
ponds upon the perfection OF the practice
When a tnan has rcpentcd and throngh trust
| In Christ has been pardohcd that ihcn MS
state of heart Is all right with and. he j.
perfectly holy because lie enjoys Gods per.
| feet favor.
! They do not claim though that this state OF
pardon and this penit"nt trust or coudition OF
heart Is NIL thai Is to be. or can nc uOhr. lhey
claim this perfect state OF heart Is but quail
| ficution for II perfect record of future life. III
this state Uf heart and faith We begin actively
! to cultivate MI the faculties anu lcclinsS ~
harmony with it, by actively engaging ~
those things in keeping with this state The
tree made good by rentence and latin in
Christ grows, develops, nnd bears fruit nc
cordingly. Is n0 good fruit tree lden,i'a,lly
| the same In quality when u growing twig thai
it Is when tecIning with ripe fruit and mn ur-
cd foliage? The Doctor mistakes perfection
tor maturity. In the sense OF maiuied per
lection rs he seems to ununrStnn'i II, ana
| which he wrongly churgcS the holiness pt-
ple to tearh. Iquesii,n very much whether
| il will ever be realized even in the eternal
world. Because keep in obedience 10 6ods
commandments the moral INV to-day. is thnl
Il elimination OF all that am ever to do?
| Can not be equally obcdient under me CIR
cumsianccs Of the morrow Implicit trust
| in Christ and obedience, perfect obedience, 10
his holy aud righteous commandments as
life, practice, and aim, Is the doctrine, as I'M
stand 1t. Of the Bible on this subject and 1t
Is ull that the true teachers of perfect holiness
~ we'll ns to those whom there is danger OF
his deuding, 10 get more correct Idea OF the
thing he condemns before he places himself
on record before the public.
Doctor gives for his opposition to holiness.
and that Is based uron ScripturLl Quotations
which he claims 10 be especially lifted 10
warn against"-this doctrine OF "feriect Ho'
Illness.
lie says, paul tells Of some who were puff
ed up with their ileshy mind, and lie utter's
these awful warnings: "Be not high-minded
cnnS osa ifar 6 men of low os esimte re not wise in
your own conceits." "Let him that thlnkcth
Ee standeth take heed lest he fall" He says
doesn't 1t seem plain MS the sunshine thni
these warnings were written just to mcctsuch
n delusion as that We are cOmbattlng?'
| will reply to the Doctors question by ask.
ing him II the quotation Of these passages
does not show that hc Is either hard up for
Scripture to sustain his point. or thnt he Is
| fond of making Scripture teach what 1t was
never intended to teach. / think any think
ing man who. Will read these quotations IN
| their connections, will soon decide that they
were never written 10 prove the Doctors
point, but only 10 help men TO live upon II
high plane of Christian life In obedience TO
| the commandments of God which is The very
doctrine the holiness people contend for.
| Doctor these quotations are Hgninst you.
Go back and search again and sec II you can
not do better.
But there is another passsge he chooses 10
refer to, and he seems so confident that II
proves his point that he makes 1t specially.
! He says "There Is one more verso that
want you 10 notice and will put 1t In II pnrn-
graph alone. that It's forcefulncss may not be
| lost among several other passages" II Is this
lst John Is: "If we say that we have no sin
we deceive ourselves and the truth is not In
u.s." do wonder II DR.. Lindsay thinks any
body who will read this passage In its connec-
ton and stndy II for ten minutes, would be
lieye TINT II refers In any respect TO the I'M
possibility of mans living in this life With
| He would be excusablc In quoting this pas.
sage in vindication OF his ground were he de-
lvcring an eXtempore sermon, and had no
time to examine lis connection, but when he
prepared his sermon for print. and knew thnt
! it would be exposed 10 the test OF cool reason
and fair criticism, i can hardly account for
his miSapplication OF this passage. The sa..
cred wriicr is not dwelling uron universal
SinfulueSS Mt all,
Begin with the fourth verse and read the
entire chapter and see what John meant. In
the sixth verse he gives us n key to ail that Is
to follow. "If we say that We have fellowship
with him and walk in the darkness: we lie
and do not the truth" Here II is very plain
that John Is condennlnG nr0nssency-pro-
you have fellowship with Christ Is profe'
sion and hr requires TINT this profession b"
sustained by practlcc. If you profess this,
and then walk in darkness ynn li". who
| in the next verse. tScventh.) "Brt if walk In
the light az he Is in the light we hnve fellow
| ship one with another AMI the blood ot jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth ns from all SIN.
Here you have consistency explained and the
| result stated. such Il course of practical life
cleanSeth from all sin, Just what the doctrn"
Of holiness vindiraies.
| pet quotation. If we say that we have no sin,
i'twhen we are sinful In our prncilce under.
stood)" we deceive ourselves and the truth Is
sense, because of It's connection, foS If you do
not. you destroy its meaning, and OF course
| Its force.
John had no reference to universal sinful
ness rs a necessary state, hut was only teach
ing the possibility of Inconsistency and what
such n state amounted 10 In reality. When
you take this chapter and read IT, In ltS con-
nertion you VIII hnd that the sncrea SIC Wrr.er ra
tice, and the possibility OF IL mnE's living free
from all sin, which is the very doctrine DR.